Echoes of Adventure
by ShatteredResolution
Summary: A young guardian follows his own fate throughout the corners of our galaxy, risking it all to search for old distant memories. Treasure and glory await, but is he ready for the trials he must undertake? Or will he vanish in the steps of guardians long past.
1. Off To The Stars

The morning rain stuck to the leaves of the emerald trees, dew dripping every once in a while off the pine towers that had spread itself across the countryside. In the distance, beyond the rolling hills and the twisting ravine, laid miracles of technology.

Rockets and starships of unimaginable sizes, boomed off into the starry unknown, trailing behind them a sea of scarlet fire. Each ship carried thousands of people, looking for life outside of the cradle we called Earth. Merely a hundred years ago, such things were thought to be the work of science fiction.

However, our story does not follow these people. Our story follows a young boy that looked outward with wonder as each ship shimmered off into the distance, into nothing but a tiny speck. His eyes sparkled with amazement, his face of mixture of awe and exasperation.

The young boy sat in the field playing with his hands, his blue eyes fixated on the sky above before something pulled him out of his wild imagination.

Out of a nearby house, of old rotted and browned logs, with glazed over crystal blue windows, stood a young girl with deep brown hair and beautiful green eyes. Her yellow spring dress flowing with the crisp, cold wind and her bare feet touched the moist grass and soaked dirt.

She called out "Brother!" The young man looked back at the house, breaking away from his fixation. The girl ran out to meet him as the boy laid back to gaze at the azure blue, morning sky, the view quickly being interrupted by the girls face.

"Brother, Mother's making breakfast, will you come inside to eat?"

"Yeah, sure sis." He put a hand behind his neck, rubbing it as if to clear himself of a headache. He looked at his sister's face. The boy was the oldest in the family, he took great pride in being someone who would keep his sister safe, at whatever costs. Looking at his sister every day reminded him of his so called pride, reminding him of his family, and the absent future.

Nothing mattered to him most.

The boy yawned and took to his feet, giving one more glance into the distance as his sister took his hand. "Come on Sho, let's go inside!" The sister smiled and he hesitantly smiled back. She was eager, he was not. Despite this, Sho followed in his sister's footsteps, casually tagging along behind her back to the old house.

It was a golden age for humanity but it would not last for long. Years later humanity would fall, forced to the edge of extinction by an unknown adversary, and the only beacon of hope left behind would be the Traveller, a mystical orb of incandescent light that stood as Earth's last defense against the oncoming onslaught of dark forces.

Those that would defend our world would be labeled guardians, protectors of humanity that could shape the world around them to suit their needs, all with the power of light that was retrieved from the Traveller. They warped gravity and bent the very forces of nature to their will. Casting Arc, Solar, and even deep Void energy like magical warlocks of the future.

However, one guardian would stand above the rest. This guardian would kill all who stood before him with utter hatred and rage. Droves of enemies would fall before him, clearing the way to his destiny.


	2. A Typical Russian Morning

Earth's lands had not seen such destruction in millennia. Every fragmented valley steeped itself into cracks that bore down deep in the crust of the land. Thousands of mountains had been flattened in the wake of The Collapse by burning plasma and weaponized matter. A place that had remained relatively, and luckily, untouched was a huge industrialized center called a Cosmodrome. These massive complexes were the spawn of Human prowess in technology and served as the branching off point for Human colonization of other planets. Large colony vessels were loaded and stacked together like wine, each one being fueled and readied for space exploration. Some of these vessels never made it off the planet, each one containing thousands of dead or sleeping souls.

April 2nd, 2551

Hour 1900

The blizzard raged on in the cold Russian morning, each tree shaking violently as the wind whistled through the air and tore at the valley. Snow came down in heaps, covering the land almost entirely in nearly two feet of white, glossy ice. In the distance nearly a dozen creatures in what looked to be rags stumbled in the snow. Arranged like a convoy, these creatures moved with relentless perseverance as they tried their best to maintain their steady pace in the frosty, raging blizzard./p

These creatures were clearly alien in nature, their four arms hung like scythes as they gripped onto massive long weapons with an eager attitude, as if they were hunting for someone, or something. In the cold snow, fog loomed down amid the trees, covering the forest in a dense, freezing thickness. Although it was nearly impossible to see the nearby surroundings, their glowing blue eyes managed to illuminate the way.  
The whistling wind was finally interrupted by a deep, guttural screech of one of the aliens. It stumbled forward, dropping its weapon and holding each hand close to its chest. The others looked at him for a moment, before quickly uttering a couple foreign languages and moving onward, unnerved by their comrades death. It was indeed, an unforgiving blizzard.

Next, two shots rang out with piercing zips, emerging swiftly and quickly from the snowy surroundings. The bullets whizzed past trees, soaring through the winter air before meeting their targets and clocking two of the creatures in their withdrawn foreheads. Each head burst into a bright sizzling light, which quickly evaporated and drizzled into the fog. The other creatures almost immediately formed defensive positions, gathering around trees and bushes as cover, hoping that their surroundings would be enough to hold off their attackers onslaught. They fired back relentlessly and uncontrollably, clicking triggers into a symphony of death, shooting off bright blue beams that melted the surrounding snow as teal colored, super-heated plasma rocketed through the sky.

However, this would not be enough. Ten more gunshots broke the air as each one nailed themselves directly into each alien's combination of rags and armor. Without even a moment of resolution, the creatures slowly collapsed, falling to the ground, hands pressed down into their stomachs or grasping for an unseen head./p  
Silence finally took its turn once more in this miserable land.  
About thirty meters away, an armored figure of white and black, covered in a cloak of cream and gold, crouched itself knee deep in a hill of snow, hidden among the surrounding rocks and looming trees. A long, silvery object protruded from the figures hands, hanging low at its waist before quickly dissolving into the air. The man lowered his position, raising its left hand into the air, quickly snapping two fingers together three times. With the final snap; a floating orb like being materialized before the forms head, its triangular, blue, holographic eye beeping loudly and softly.

The orb spoke with joy with what sounded to be a mostly feminine voice "Well, well! That is the seventh convoy we took down today. You should be proud of yourself." She continued "It's been kind of surprising actually that we've made it this far." The figure looked at Ghost, its faceless mask staring down the floating robot. "Huh, you beginning to doubt me there, Ghost?" He retorted, chuckling softly before finally letting his friend speak again "No, no! Of course not, how could I ever doubt you? It's just surprising that the Fallen Houses have been pushed back this far, maybe we will be finally retaking this area back once more."/p  
The man shrugged as a small green beacon appeared in his hand "Easy now, let's take this one step at a time." Bending over, he submerged the beacon deep underground as it began to pulsate and glow. "Alright, there we go. With the convoys cleared out and the beacon placed, we should be getting some communication signals for the next ninety kliks."

Ghost nodded "Indeed, in fact, we are getting a signal from the tower right now, it seems to be more directed to you, actually." The guardian lowered his hood and finally took off his helmet. The man was rather well defined, deep, brown hair hung from his head. Emerald eyes pierced the surroundings, glistening with snowy light. He set his helmet on the ground and nodded back at Ghost "Very well, patch 'em through." A holographic emitter appeared via the ghosts eye and through the floating screen appeared another similarly armored being.

"Ah, Sho, long time no see!" The being spoke with ease.

Sho replied in quick succession, his body tensing up as he began to speak. "Sir, we finally made it to the checkpoint, the beacon is placed and ready to go!" He didn't falter in a single word, his voice was quick and he spoke with accuracy. The being replied with hands on their hips "C'mon Sho, just relax for a second. What's the rush y'know?" Sho finally relaxed his body.

Rigorous training by the Hunter and Titan corps had turned Sho into a soldier more than a guardian of humanity. Hours upon hours of training had molded him, and he began to see that his duty was above all. Sho sighed and continued, his voice now a little more lax"Anyway, Zavala said you can head back now, good job and all that nonsense. Besides, I owe you a drink." He clapped his hands "Collapsing seven Fallen convoys in a single day is almost unheard of and you deserve a well deserved break." A voice chimed in before he could finish "Cayde, are you done with your transmission?" The voice was gruff and hardened, the very opposite of the Exo that stood before him. "Yeah, yeah I'm almost done." He turned to shut off the transmission. "Anyway, come back on down to the Tower Sho, meet me at the bar and we'll hang out, or something..."

The transmission fizzled out, prompting Sho picked up his helmet up off of the damp, dirty ground. Ghost spoke once more, tweeting out with light clicks and buzzes. "Sounds like Cayde has taken a real liking to you." Sho smiled in response, raising a hand to his face "Yeah, it definitely seems that way. Been a while since I have felt that kind of recognition." With two clicks, and the sound of electronic wiring zapping to life, he snapped his helmet back on "Anyway, let's get out of here." The two made their way back down the hill towards home, the blizzard still quietly raging on through the Russian countryside


	3. Collapse

Sho had lost everything in the collapse, his friends and his family died in their own ways and even he never made it through.

He was 21 when the collapse was triggered, he watched the news as thousands of massive unknown warships shot down colony vessels straight out of launching from their towers. Billions died in the first 24 hours and even more were slaughtered within the next week. Civilizations on Mars, Io and Venus were abruptly taken aback as the warships disappeared in Humanities final hours, as if pushed back by an overwhelming and distinct force.

We know this force by name now, as the Traveler.

In the event of their near extinction, the Traveler saved the galaxy from total and seemingly unavoidable destruction. This force, before shutting down almost entirely, sent out Ghosts to revive strong warriors and soldiers to keep Humans safe. It blessed them with the power to shape gravity and matter to their will and to fight back against their oppressors.

These enemies, however, were bizarre and and profane creatures of darkness that fed on fear and chaos.

Zombie like creatures that fed on worms known as the Hive. Bipedal, four armed humanoids that worshipped technology known as the Fallen. The large massing creatures that breathed and lived for war and destruction known as the Cabal. Finally, the bronze and silver robots that travelled through time and bent space known as the Vex.

These beasts are all enemies of the Guardians and the Traveller, foes who would love nothing more than to tear our cities down to their roots and hunt down every Human until their was nothing left for us to stand our ground on.

However, the bearing truly weighs down on the guardians that protect and sacrifice themselves for Humanity. The curse of the undead warriors as they struggle through to take down legendary Demons and monstrous Demigods. Failure could mean destruction for all they protect and hold dear.

Sho never stood a chance.

He failed to protect everyone, his family died on an evacuation shuttle that was headed out to Phobos. His friends never made it past Earth and the rest of them died in the space between two galaxies. He could still remember their screams, especially his sister. Nothing made sense to him anymore. His past became blurred as if becoming one with the light blanked his mind and stole his future. Sometimes, he wish his ghost never found him. Wishing that he would have just been left to rot with all the other skeletons in Old russia.

 _Come Sho...weary wanderer_

The voice echoes out to him every night, offering him savory wishes of the darkness and giving him a chance to reconcile with the voices of long past. He never remembered what it was like to be human, to not have this burden of seeming defeat that weighed upon his shoulders with every passing day.

As the light in him flickered, he could feel the loneliness of his life grow more and more.

 _Come Sho...Taste the darkness_


End file.
